Brand new to reefing - need help with first test results

[kotro]

I am just now starting my first saltwater reef tank! I setup my tank Friday 1/12 and just got my testing kit and algae barn nitro cycle and turbo start in the mail. Before dosing the nitrocycle and turbo start I wanted to test my water to get base parameters. After testing I quickly realized I don’t know what I’m doing. Can you please help me decipher these results and understand where my tank is at in the cycle process, and what I could I expect? Here is my setup below:

Nuvo Fusion 15 AIO
Caribsea Figi Pink Live Sand
Caribsea Dry Live Rock
Heater set to 79
Filled with Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Saltwater @ 1.025

I don’t think at the moment anything is happening, but please help me understand.

Thanks!!

 

[jda]

I don't worry about pH in new tanks.

The rest of those are near zero, which is what you expect with a tank just filled with water.

To me, the cycle is a cyclical thing that never ends, but yours has not started yet. You are going to need to put some of the things in there to start moving the tank forward.

I don't know if Nitro Cycle or Turbo Start is better than the other. Some bottled bacteria sources work well and some really don't - there is a whole thread of it on here.

Do you need help understanding what is coming next, or did you just want to know where you are right now?

 

[kotro]

I don't worry about pH in new tanks.

The rest of those are near zero, which is what you expect with a tank just filled with water.

To me, the cycle is a cyclical thing that never ends, but yours has not started yet. You are going to need to put some of the things in there to start moving the tank forward.

I don't know if Nitro Cycle or Turbo Start is better than the other. Some bottled bacteria sources work well and some really don't - there is a whole thread of it on here.

Do you need help understanding what is coming next, or did you just want to know where you are right now?

Thanks for your help! I just needed some help understanding where I am at now. I just added the turbo start and now I should wait a week before testing again.

 

[jda]

I think that you need to add an ammonia source with Turbo Start. If the directions say this, then order some ammonium chloride from Amazon and mix a batch of solution with these directions. Dr Tims makes some premade. The bacteria need some ammonia to process or else they won't do anything.

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[kotro]

I think that you need to add an ammonia source with Turbo Start. If the directions say this, then order some ammonium chloride from Amazon and mix a batch of solution with these directions. Dr Tims makes some premade. The bacteria need some ammonia to process or else they won't do anything.

DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

Some reef aquaria have chronic low nitrogen availability. One indicator is very low nitrate. Nitrate dosing is a fine remedy, but it is possible that ammonia dosing may be more beneficial for some organisms since ammonia can be energetically easier to assimilate than is nitrate. For this...

www.reef2reef.com

My understanding was that the nitrocycle is the ammonia source. If I recall from reading the ingredients it has ammonium chloride. So my plan is to let’s this do it’s thing for a week, retest and see where things are. Add more nitrocycle (ammonia) after testing and retest in 24 hours and see where things are at.

Edit: this is what I bought https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/rapi...=10297&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products

 

[jda]

You should be all set.

In all honesty, as long as you are smart and patient, anything that you do to get a tank going will work. You can mess things up by stocking to fast and overfeeding, but if you avoid this then starting a tank a million different ways will get you to where the more diverse fish gut bacteria can colonize and take over. In many was, the bacteria in those bottles are just to keep fish alive until fish gut bacteria come in and also film algae, film bacteria and corals can use fish waste directly and not have it enter the nitrogen cycle.

 

[kotro]

You should be all set.

In all honesty, as long as you are smart and patient, anything that you do to get a tank going will work. You can mess things up by stocking to fast and overfeeding, but if you avoid this then starting a tank a million different ways will get you to where the more diverse fish gut bacteria can colonize and take over. In many was, the bacteria in those bottles are just to keep fish alive until fish gut bacteria come in and also film algae, film bacteria and corals can use fish waste directly and not have it enter the nitrogen cycle.

Thanks again! This did bring about another question though to make sure I’m actually getting things started.

In the directions of the Nitrocycle it says to use 1ml/1gal which I followed. But it also says to raise the ammonia to 3 ppm.

Although I followed the right dosage, the ammonia only went up to 0.25 ppm. Do I need to add more to meet the ppm) if I’m understanding right the ammonia acts as a fuel to the cycle, so it would make sense that it needs to be the right ppm.

 

[TX_REEF]

Thanks again! This did bring about another question though to make sure I’m actually getting things started.

In the directions of the Nitrocycle it says to use 1ml/1gal which I followed. But it also says to raise the ammonia to 3 ppm.

Although I followed the right dosage, the ammonia only went up to 0.25 ppm. Do I need to add more to meet the ppm) if I’m understanding right the ammonia acts as a fuel to the cycle, so it would make sense that it needs to be the right ppm.

as long as you followed the dosing instructions, you're good! these color-indication test kits, especially API, are not always 100% accurate.

 

[kotro]

as long as you followed the dosing instructions, you're good! these color-indication test kits, especially API, are not always 100% accurate.

Well things are happening…

 

[crazyfishmom]

Well things are happening…

You have some conversion into nitrite happening! Good for you!